The present invention relates to recreational devices like in-line skates and bicycles.
The invention relates to in-line roller skates and bicycles and comprises a single wheel mounted in a latitudinal direction on each boot. More specifically, the present invention relates to recreational devices which can be used to traverse smooth and rough terrain including mountain slopes.
There are many types of mono-wheel devices in the prior art. A mono-wheel wheel device was first described in 1869 in U.S. Pat. No. 92,936 of Brownlee. Another mono-wheel device was described in 1912 in U.S. Pat. No. 1,023,882 of Schiesari. Another mono-wheel device was described in 1950 in U.S. Pat. No. 2,520,793 of Blackwell. Another mono-wheel device was described in 1954 in U.S. Pat. No. 2,675,243 of King. Another mono-wheel device was described in 1960 in U.S. Pat. No. 2,931,012 of Kosach. Another mono-wheel device was described in 1972 in U.S. Pat. No. 3,663,031 of Young. Another mono-wheel device was described in 1980 in U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,168 of Macaluso. Another mono-wheel device was described in 1980 in U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,493 of Veneklasen. Another mono-wheel device was described in 1998 in U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,247 of Anselmo. All prior art of mono-wheel skate devices have the wheel mounted in a longitudinal direction with respect to the user""s foot.
Human balance can be considered in two separate axes. Human balance left side to right side and human balance front to back. Left to right human balance is relatively inaccurate; as evidenced by trying to stand on one foot. However since the human body has two feet there is a constant correcting mechanism by moving ones hips and upper body relative to both left and right foot. This endless correction makes left to right balance very useful for walking and standing. Devices based on human left to right balance, like the bicycle tap into this constant correcting mechanism. A bicycle is in a constant state of losing its balance and with the endless correcting of the front wheel it is kept in balance. People learn to ride a bicycle because this constant correcting is much like the person""s natural left to right correction.
Front to back balance is in many ways much more accurate as evidenced by the operation of the ankle and foot as you lean slightly forward. There is none of the left to right instability as when you stand on one foot. The big difference in front to back balance is that it has leverage much closer to the ground for correcting balance; namely the ankle and foot. This means that the balance correction is quicker for front to back balance. One simply has to apply pressure on his/her soles or heels. Rarely is upper body weight shifting involved in front to back balance correction.
Devices that leverage front to back balance include snowbirds and to a lesser extent skateboards. In both cases balance is restored by pushing down on ones toes with respect to ones heels or lifting ones toes. This action in a snowboard causes the board to carve into the snow in a forward or rearward direction and thus recovering balance. These actions in a skateboard causes the truck to change the relative orientation of the rear axle with respect to the front axle and turning toward the front or towards the rear and again regaining balance. Snowboards and skateboards traveling at high speed tend to be difficult to control and are better suited to slow speed artistic expression. This is because the length of a person""s foot is relatively short when compared with the distance between left and right foot with feet apart.
Devices that leverage left to right balance include regular ski""s and currently available in-line skates. Mono-wheel skates with wheels mounted in a longitudinal direction primarily leverage human left to right balance. Front to back balance is needed to stop the user falling forward or backward but is not leveraged to a great extent. It should be noted that all prior art mono-wheel skates with wheels mounted in a longitudinal direction are fundamentally unstable. The front to back correcting mechanism of the user""s feet and ankles have no corresponding mechanism with these devices. The unicycle on the other hand, operates with a fixed gear and the user can affect front to back correction by pedaling forward or backward. Ski""s and in-line skates are more controllable at high speed because the distance between right and left feet is greater than the length of a person""s foot.
The present invention discloses a mono-wheel skate device with wheels mounted in a latitudinal direction. This will leverage human front to back balance primarily with left to right balance having secondary input; generally dealing with not tripping. The user balances the device by continuously correcting the orientation of each boot. For example when the user feels himself/herself falling forward out of balance, the user moves his/her feet in such a way as to bring his/her toes closer together which tracks the boots forward of the original line of motion and thus regaining balance. The user must be in a state of constant correction which with practice will become natural and reflex. This device moves the user in a sideways direction and it is up to the user to decide to move to the user""s right or to the user""s left. The user must avoid tripping the leading boot wheel on any rough terrain. Propelling the device requires actions different from regular in-line skates. The user moves his feet so that his/her feet remain parallel to each other but his/her toes are to the right or the left of his/her heels. Assuming the user wishes to propel himself/herself to the right then his/her toes should be to the right of his/her heels while both feet are still parallel. While holding his/her feet in this orientation with respect to each other the user simply walks forward. The rearward pull of each boot in this walking motion causes the wheels under that boot to roll in the direction of the right. Thus the user moves to the right. When sufficient speed is attained and the user wishes to coast the user moves his/her feet square with respect to the direction of travel. Once the user has mastered the basics of propulsion and turning the user can start introducing his/her weight into the turns by leaning into the turns. The feedback from this device is strongest when the user uses his/her weight. This device may not compete with regular in-line skates with respect to distance traveled or speed of operation. However it is expected that this invention will excel at carving turns and will work best on inclines of asphalt or grass. It is expected that this invention will be more expressive than regular in-line skates and will reward the operator with much positive feedback of having mastered his/her balance. An optional elastic member attached between each boot allows the user""s feet to remain at an optimal angle without straining the user""s leg muscles. The device can be motorized by attaching a simple bicycle motor to one boot and this motor can drive against the inside of the wheel rim.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a mono-wheel skate device.
It is a more particular object of the invention to provide a mono-wheel skate with wheels mounted in a latitudinal direction, whose axis of rotation is parallel to the axis of the skate boot that runs between the boot toe and the boot heel.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a mono-wheel skate with wheels mounted in a direction that is perpendicular to the axis that runs between the boot toe and the boot heel.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an integral boot that supports the user""s foot and restricts the motion of the user""s ankle.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a guide wheel support member attached to the boot and mounted in a latitudinal direction.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a number of guide wheels supported by the guide wheel support member that engage the rim of the wheel. These guide wheels have a concave surface that forces the wheel to run in a latitudinal direction and stops the wheel from disengaging from the device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an optional elastic member connecting each boot together that holds the user""s feet in an optimal angle and prevents the user""s feet from doing the splits.